three of swords as on-the-nose insight

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

nina	21 Oct 2003
Hello, I had posted a reading in the "your readings" section, and got great responses, but I also had a conversation with a friend about the spread, and she told me about an interpretation of the Three of Swords I hadn't heard before, but she said she's sure she's read more than once. This interpretation was that the 3 Swd. can mean getting right to the heart of the matter, cutting through all the outside distractions to pierce the very core of the problem, and that, in accordance with the traditional interpretation of this card, this confrontation with bare reality is painful. I ask because the reading had "moving away from" the 7 of Swords next to "moving towards" the Three of Swords. In that context, this meaning has given me quite a bit to think about. Has anyone else ever heard of this alternate meaning? -nina

firemaiden	21 Oct 2003
Yes, I think I have heard that one. It certainly makes sense, I mean, that is what the card looks like doesn't it!

Aoife	21 Oct 2003
I asked a similar question awhile ago arising from the Leah Samuls "Wisdom in the Cards" accompanying book to the Hudes deck. The Hudes 3 of swords shows the swords, piercing the ground close to a woman seated on the ground. There's nothing to suggest heartbreak in the image - the woman seems calm, reflective; the swords are lodged in the ground, not immediately threatening. Leah Samuls talks about the Three of Swords looking at, "the separated components side by side, and gets a sense of how they fit..... This is not a card of action or emotion or even intention, but rather or simple examination." She goes on to say that, "it's important that she gather all the components in front of her at the same time, so that she's not leaving anything out. One of the problems with separating things is that you might take something apart, set aside one piece and then forget about it. This can lead to denial because when something is out of sight it is often out of mind". This links nicely with the 7 of swords which shows a figure carrying 5 swords in his arms, two swords piercing the ground behind him. Samuels says, "because he's carrying so many swords he can't use them to analyse things and separate them into categories for review or study.... He's lost the ability to see the big picture the way the 3 of swords can, because he's holding them so closely he's lost all perspective".

gloria	21 Oct 2003
It can signify heart surgery too. Am editing this to apologize for this offering, I realise it is inappropriate with Nina's query. Gloria.

Thirteen	21 Oct 2003
I like this interpetation and certainly think it rings true. As the 7 swords can indicate evasion and dishonesty--either intentionally against you, or by you because you feel you have no other option--moving toward 3 swords makes a lot of sense. I'd probably read this as a situation where you've felt you had to tip-toe around the truth, evade the heart of the matter because someone was going to be offended or hurt--now you finally come out and spill it all. This could be a very big truth--like finally telling your family that you're gay--or a very little one--like telling a relative you just don't like the sweater they gave you and that's why you never wear it :D This could also be read as confronting someone who's been lying to you or cheating you. Hard and unpleasant, but necessary.

witchywomyn	21 Oct 2003
The 3 Swords here doesn't show the RW heart pierced with the three swords either - it is a rather dark dark - with one person consoling another - with three crossed swords behind and above them.... I still feel this card represents heartbreak to me - but not necessarily a love affair that has ended - it could be anything that may break someone's heart - but what this card says to me is communication is necessary during these times - lean on a friend -talk about your situation - because a problem shared is a problem halved.

dolphinprincess	21 Oct 2003
when our hearts are blocked or in pain, it is very difficult to move forward or be open to change ... this card used to scare me more than any other in the deck.. i used to think it surely meant the end of all my relationships.. but now i've come to realize it is telling me i have pain in my heart - and as was already said, not necessarily from a love affair.. and usually that pain is magnified by my own thoughts... in a sense, the person causing me pain, in the end, is often myself (although it may have initiated elsewhere)... ... this card tells me i need to start focusing on solutions - not the problem.

nina	21 Oct 2003
Hello, Thanks everyone for great responses! I just found this sort of interesting and thought you all might. Right after my original post I dug up my old tarot journal from when I first began studying. I went through the deck card by card- I would put that card from four different decks (RWS, Morgan-Greer, Russian of St Pete's, and Barbara Walker) in front of me, write my reactions to each one's visual image and then look up what my several books had to say, trying through this practice to figure out my own take on the cards. I haven't looked back at this notebook for a while and was surprised to find this in my own writing: "The light in the back of the MG and the church bells- three of them- in the Russian give the card some hope, I guess. If you look at the Russian first, actually, you might think the swords are there to protect the heart since they are presented vertically in front of it without piercing it and there's this delicate decorative latticework in front of it. Is it the intellectual power of the swords protecting the emotional center? Is it the swords keeping the heart in a cage? Then the Walker, a sadder image than a pierced heart- bloody swords on the ground with a weeping woman in a corner covering her face- did she just witness violence, fall victim to it, or commit it? She does NOT want to look at those swords. So the RWS and MG look painful, but maybe avoiding those swords going through the heart is some kind of block." Maybe if I'd stayed with this journal (I stopped referring to it and adding to it some time ago) I might have come to some different conclusions than simply "sorrow" Never too late to start again. -nina

The three of swords as on-the-nose insight thread was originally posted on 21 Oct 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.